Customer Reviews

Psychedelic Furs

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

1980 NYC. Sounds at the Mudd Club, Max's and Hurrahs bathed in a wash of post-punk and Stiff Records new wave garbage. Fall of 1980 saw the Furs with their debut turn the tables on all that was "punk". Armed with sneering Bowie-like vocals, heavy back beat and guitars awash in the latest space echo and chorus effects, this album sounded like no other. It was as if post-punk started to become stylised and more pop-oriented. A sound so unique and revolutionary, that most people never gave the band any credit for it. Look who they influenced: Joy Division, U2, Bauhaus and the Bunneymen. FLowers, India and Pulse are out and out post-punk classics. The Furs never sounded as good. One of the great debut albums of any band at any time.

Now this is a great album, by a great band that frankly didn't get much credit for their redefinement of music at all. It is sad that not many people get hear this kind of music anymore, but if you are reading this, I suggest buying it! With a voice like Bowie and a music style unlike anything, this is one of the best albums ever made.

Perfect. Front to back, beginning to end I loved and do love this album. The Psychedelic Furs first single, Imitation Of Christ was out on video and I saw it one night at the club 688. It actually gave me chills. Richard Butlers vocals snaked out of the speakers and spoke like a brother in arms as he ratttled and then smoothed over the words in sublime translation of the zeitgeist for that time in 1980.

This is a stronger set of music than the first Bunneymen release (and I hold them highest of all), and I listen to it more than any other album from that time. It does stand the test of time. What does this debut sound like? Anger, love, loneliness, attack and reflection, it is intelligent and has hooks and melodies, and in the end there is a love in the music that is understated yet pronounced in ways similar to Frank Sinatra's late 50's output For The Lonely. It has everything a young post punk idealist could want in his British music, and then some. Buy this CD. Put it on when you are alone late at night. It is a noisy batch of songs bound by the harsh and constant Butler, the guitars come together well and the rhythm section keeps the tracks moving. The lyrics are engaging and thoughtful, and as such stand as admirable rock poems.
This is an essential release.

Especially unique about this album is how the saxophone at times sounds more like a synthesizer. I bought this without expecting to be very impressed. I was wrong: every track is great. Buy this album if you love Magazine, Siousxie and the Banshees, and such bands.

The Psych Furs really shone on this album. When I first listened to this album (1980) I knew I loved it, then I discovered the velvet underground and finally understood it. This is music for music's sake; artistic and brutally honest.

For the uninitiated, the Psych Furs are a volatile mix of Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Sex Pistols. And Richard Butler is a singer that anyone would love in their band. A raspy voiced Bowie who can mesmerize with a monotonic drone and drive home the point with an ironic snarl. And all the while the band pounds out a shimmering veil of pulsating sound.

"I'm in love with the BBC, I'm in love with your TV, and they are so in love with you and me"

Paint the sky upon the ceiling, Richard.. and Rock On!

Guys, it's not that the songs are mixed up but look at the cover! It's the UK version (US version had a black cover and different layout of the band members' heads). So this is the proper song order the way the band intended it and as the album was originally released in their home country at the time. Plus they toss in the songs that were on the US version, too, so this is a great deal. Getting the killer Blacks/Radio alone (which those of us in the vinyl era had to fork over and buy the same album only the UK import) is worth it alone.

I must confess: I bought this CD 'cause it was on sale. I listened it and I liked it. Once at home, my first impression was even better. They sound like The Cure at its best! Considering that this is an old work, they did a very good job. imagine dark music in the 80's, when the kind of music listened at this moment was completely different. I like this Cd very much, is one of my favourites.

And the comparison is fair if you are about 21, and your father bought it in college right before he made you. I did buy the original while in college, and one of the fun parts of this amazon.thing is that I get to tell the world all about my favorite albums. Sometimes it's a quick listen of a very familiar one before writing the review, but when I got this on CD, I had to put a little more work into it.

First of all, the Psychedelic Furs and Clash are by far my favorite and most influential hard-rocking bands of the eighties. They had a sound that made the atmosphere around it so thick you could cut it with a knife. Richard Butler's voice sounded like a snarling David Bowie. When you hear Duncan Kilburn's generous saxaphone use, you wonder why more bands don't employ this instrument more. And they translated wonderfully live.

While bigger fame with "Pretty in Pink" was to come later, this album just blew me away when I first got it. There might have been debut albums just as good, but I can't think of any that were better. All of the songs of the original are on this "re-issued with extra stuff" version. But the songs are not in the original order, and there are some extras.

Of the extras, you can throw out "Mack the Knife". I love other versions of the song, and of course, love the band, but I find the marriage of the two totally unlistenable. On the other hand, there's something called "Blacks/Radio" that's quite interesting. It's a long song that takes a bit getting used to, but is a welcome addition considering there isn't that much new "product" coming out.

Finally, there is a demo version of "Flowers" (yes, there are two versions on the disc). This one is interesting because it begins with a milder version of the bass/drum assault of "India" with guitar and saxophone thrown in. This seques into a milder version of the "Flowers" intro before Butler starts singing. Having both of these intros on one song is thrilling if you're a fan of the band. Now that I have a daughter who is in gymnastics, it is my dream to put together floor routine music from this album. Look for it someday in the Olympics.

A little post-punk, a little new wave, and a little psychedelia, The Psychedelic Furs were never easy to categorize. In fact, on later albums, the band would mellow, and go for a more melodic sound. I believe their debut album must still be considered their most innovative and one of their best.

In my opinion, the highlight of the album is the first three tracks. "India" was a courageous lead-in song for a first album, with its unusual and distinctive intro, and six minute length. Still, I think its one of the band's best songs, exhibiting a chaotic out-of-control feel, and the brilliant inclusion of a saxophone. (What a shame the band would, for the most part,abandon this instrument later on). "Sister Europe" and "Susan's Strange" also utilize a saxophone with superb results. In my mind, these first three songs are still the "signature sound" of the band.

Tracks 4-10 ("Fall" through "Flowers") are all solid, just not quite as dramatic as the three preceding songs. "Pulse" sounds to me like it was virtually copied by the Go-Gos with "We've Got the Beat." Only the snarling Richard Butler can make a "Wedding Song" sound so hopeless.

Overall, this is a very impressive debut from an influential band that didn't receive even close to the accolades that it deserved.

When i got my hands on this album (originally in vinyl!) many years ago, i was entranced! Every song is wonderful! The Furs create a wall of sound that is furious, entrancing, lilting and abrasive from song to song. The best album of the whole post-punk generation!